[Showtime]

I too have a Velit that has had issues. I installed it this last summer and test fired it and it seemed to work as it should. Then this Fall as the weather cooled we started to use heat, the heater worked fine but we really only used it 6 or 8 times. Then on our coldest night (18F) and highest altitude (5100ft) the heater wouldn't start and showed an error code of 07. Several tries to start had the same results.

We came home after that trip and the heater would start and run at home which is at 3100ft. I contacted support and they said I needed a new pump which the promptly shipped. I am not looking forward to spilling gasoline when I change out the pump, but I will be soon because we are leaving on a trip Tuesday. Hopefully the pump takes care of the issue.

Velit support might be good, but I would prefer a product that requires no support.

Really gross to see a few people here STILL push this cheap junk product just because the owner has talked to them and pretended to be their buddy. Shows how far social marketing can get you. its junk. And you STILL have MsNomer and the other guy pushing these hard.
Literally have guys that have swapped parts two or three times

 

[Showtime]

My ECU was replaced for the intermittent E05. My understanding from Will is that the first batches of ECU and pumps had flaws that weren’t detected until the units failed in the wild. Will confirms that the replacement ECU I was sent in August is the one tested in Colorado, so they must have dialed in the settings pretty darned well.

lol. Uhhh....you mean like their previous BS fake claims of the original ECU working perfectly at 16k feet? Im sure hes 100% truthful this time!

 

[Dennis CampMaker]

lol. Uhhh....you mean like their previous BS fake claims of the original ECU working perfectly at 16k feet? Im sure hes 100% truthful this time!

There is significant evidence that the Velit gas heater does work quite well at all elevations and is available for a reasonable price. Every new business has a few challenges at the beginning.

 

[Showtime]

There is significant evidence that the Velit gas heater does work quite well at all elevations and is available for a reasonable price. Every new business has a few challenges at the beginning.

No....there actually isn't. Once you get outside of this forum and read user experiences its been basically a piece of junk for most real people. The only "evidence" of it working at high elevation is yet another made up BS graphic from Velit and the word of influencers like MsNomer.

Its just an Alibaba piece of crap with their name printed on it. Just like their 12v AC units.

 

[RV8R]

No....there actually isn't. Once you get outside of this forum and read user experiences its been basically a piece of junk for most real people. The only "evidence" of it working at high elevation is yet another made up BS graphic from Velit and the word of influencers like MsNomer.

Its just an Alibaba piece of crap with their name printed on it. Just like their 12v AC units.

Well @Showtime I heed your warning, as I do not have a need, so I have the luxury of waiting for the Empirical Data 😁. In my case, this data would be sourced after years of use by multiple users @ multiple environments, with honest reporting. Other than than ,,, place your bets & puts downs your moneys.

I believe any of these RV heater furnaces can be problematic ,,, All of Them !!

In my endeavors I would say the heater was my biggest “floundering” appliance item. Even purchased a Wallas diesel XC Duo & then returned it after reading the manual;

Wallas XC Duo - All-In-One Heating and Cooking Solution for Camper Vans

XC Duo is a safe and space-saving heater-cooker combination for camper vans.

wallas.fi

I finally settled on Propane & Propex HS2800. I have installed 4 of these units ( 3 in vans & 1 in my Cabin ). Not without issues as from my own experience 25% 1 in 4 I had a pressure regulation issue at higher density altitudes. I seemingly resolved this by reducing the final regulated pressure to 9WC from the NA standard of 11WC.


You seem to be very passionately involved with your postings on VeLit. Maybe a detailed post on your recommendations for what we should buy for heating our Promaster vans would be helpful.

 

[Pierre O]

Well @Showtime I heed your warning, as I do not have a need, so I have the luxury of waiting for the Empirical Data 😁.

I believe any of these RV heater furnaces can be problematic ,,, All of Them !!

I can't attest for the Velit but many/most problems with these units (independent of brand) are user caused, often through improper installation or by using outside of the altitude spec.

Inherently, due to their design, they are very sensitive to installation of the combustion air intake and exhaust, and also the fuel line. Many people disregard the instructions (line length, orientation, etc.) and many run into problems.

Ours (a General Components Bison) runs very well so far. We're just back from a 4-day trip where it ran for about 40 hours, and burned about 10 liters. It is really great to tap into the fuel tank when you have extensive usage. But you need to remember they are not "furnaces"; they are "heaters".

 

[RV8R]

I can't attest for the Velit but many/most problems with these units (independent of brand) are user caused, often through improper installation or by using outside of the altitude spec.

Inherently, due to their design, they are very sensitive to installation of the combustion air intake and exhaust, and also the fuel line. Many people disregard the instructions (line length, orientation, etc.) and many run into problems.

Ours (a General Components Bison) runs very well so far. We're just back from a 4-day trip where it ran for about 40 hours, and burned about 10 liters. It is really great to tap into the fuel tank when you have extensive usage. But you need to remember they are not "furnaces"; they are "heaters".

I ran the gambit with my last Propex. I even had the dealer review my install ( the dealer is near Duncan BC ). During the install review, he could not find anything wrong with the install, but said it is not the regulator, and it’s probably something that got sucked in the intake as these heaters are very sensitive. I then remove the heater and heat bench tested it. There was nothing wrong with the install or the heater, and after a road trip to Utah, during a combustion error and non-firing start up, I decided to field alter the propane, final regulation, pressure. That was the fix, so far.

Then I did a whole pile of research and contacted Propex UK, and was surprised of the information they had with regards to higher altitude use there specifications do not limit altitude ( or did not at the time ).

I agree, many of the issues are poor insulation caused. Also many are caused by these heaters being finicky & I suppose the nature of fuel internal combustion heaters. Many issues are caused by altitude running the heaters, or other environmental conditions like intake contaminants, etc.

Can you clarify your statement; But you need to remember they are not "furnaces"; they are "heaters". As I do not know what you are getting at?

 

[larry barello]

Hey, @Showtime it is easy to be a critic without providing any evidence, alternatives or solutions. Then it's just noise.

I did a quick Google search and pretty much found only positive reviews. Can you post some links to the negative reviews of the Velit heater?

What exactly is your beef with Velit? It seems very personal.

 

[MsNomer]

Its just an Alibaba piece of crap with their name printed on it.

This is just plain WRONG. Several videos have shown that while the external casing and heat exchanger resemble Espar (expired patents), the combustion chamber itself has never been seen before.

influencers like MsNomer.

If you check the definition of “influencer,” it is clear that I am not one. If I were, I would be paid and I would not be open about the problems we have had. I do admire entrepreneurs who defy naysayers. Without them, we’d still be riding in buggies.

The bottom line is that there is no other unit on the market at any price that could meet our needs as well as the VeLit does. (Caveat below). We do not miss the Webasto it replaced. I don’t understand where Showtime’s negativity is coming from.

Caveat: The Bison/General heater claims to have the high-altitude capability we need. I became aware of it after we bought the VeLit, so did not consider it. I haven’t seen any high-altitude test results, but there should be some user experiences this winter.

 

[Showtime]

Hey, @Showtime it is easy to be a critic without providing any evidence, alternatives or solutions. Then it's just noise.

I did a quick Google search and pretty much found only positive reviews. Can you post some links to the negative reviews of the Velit heater?

What exactly is your beef with Velit? It seems very personal.

Ah yes...the other guy who Velit talked to and made feel special. Trusted source of info!

No beef with Velit. Other than they just rebrand junk. And I hate seeing influencer wannabes steer people to junk.

 

[RV8R]

Ah yes...the other guy who Velit talked to and made feel special. Trusted source of info!

No beef with Velit. Other than they just rebrand junk. And I hate seeing influencer wannabes steer people to junk.

So what do you recommend for a heater @Showtime ??

I suppose by MY definition ,,, All these heaters are JUNK, because they ALL are problematic.

 

[larry barello]

Ah yes...the other guy who Velit talked to and made feel special. Trusted source of info!

No beef with Velit. Other than they just rebrand junk. And I hate seeing influencer wannabes steer people to junk.

Ah, yes, and yet you still fail to back up anything you claim with any evidence.

Me thinks you are a competitor hiding behind that pseudonym just to trash other people's products.

Prove me wrong please post something useful rather than just diatribe.

 

[Showtime]

This is just plain WRONG. Several videos have shown that while the external casing and heat exchanger resemble Espar (expired patents), the combustion chamber itself has never been seen before.



If you check the definition of “influencer,” it is clear that I am not one. If I were, I would be paid and I would not be open about the problems we have had. I do admire entrepreneurs who defy naysayers. Without them, we’d still be riding in buggies.

The bottom line is that there is no other unit on the market at any price that could meet our needs as well as the VeLit does. (Caveat below). We do not miss the Webasto it replaced. I don’t understand where Showtime’s negativity is coming from.

Caveat: The Bison/General heater claims to have the high-altitude capability we need. I became aware of it after we bought the VeLit, so did not consider it. I haven’t seen any high-altitude test results, but there should be some user experiences this winter.

You are on multiple forums like a salesman for this thing. Because Will made you feel special. While he took your money for a known junk product.

The teardown shows nothing special at all about the Velit. Its a Chinese copy like all the other ones on Alibaba. Same ECU issues as they have too. Same cheap junk pumps that they have.

This idea you have about Velit "solving" altitude gas heating is just weird. Espar works at the same altitudes this crap claims it can work. Any auto adjusting gas heater would with a dialed in ECU. Webasto did not have that feature. So obviously it's not comparable. And if people dont want to spend Espar money just get a Bison. They are a proven product from a real company. Not a guy ordering off Alibaba and calling himself an innovator.

 

[Showtime]

So what do you recommend for a heater @Showtime ??

I suppose by MY definition ,,, All these heaters are JUNK, because they ALL are problematic.


View attachment 103315

I think i already said earlier in the thread. Espar B2L AS3. If you want a cheaper option get a Bison. If you want a Velit just order a chinese heater directly off Alibaba yourself and save the middle man.

 

[Jlo11111]

I think the overall conclusion here is that all of these types of heaters are overpriced pieces of junk. It's nothing more than passing air over a heat exchanger which has been done for a hundred years. The fact that they still have problems with finicky installations, operations, altitude and reliability is mind boggling. The next time my webasto craps out, and it will, I'm taking a sledge hammer to it and finding another way to heat my van.

 

[Showtime]

Ah, yes, and yet you still fail to back up anything you claim with any evidence.

Me thinks you are a competitor hiding behind that pseudonym just to trash other people's products.

Prove me wrong please post something useful rather than just diatribe.

You dont have to look very far. Just read this thread. Theres two people who Velit made feel like special people and the rest have had bad experiences. Hell the main influencers here has changed parts like 3 times already and still wants to sing their praises. Now check out the Transit forums. MsNomer does an even more aggressive sales pitch over there.

 

[Pierre O]

Can you clarify your statement; But you need to remember they are not "furnaces"; they are "heaters". As I do not know what you are getting at?

What I meant is they are not really designed (at least not the liquid fuel heaters) for fine temperature regulation. Combustion is optimal when they are run at full power, and the cycling on/off takes several minutes (again for the fuel heaters) and considerable power. Many have a thermostatic mode but even then the range of usable power is only about 2:1 (max to min) so the effectiveness is limited.
To me a furnace is like a Suburban RV unit, which regulates by switching on/off like a home gas furnace does. Maybe the propex units are also like that, I have no experience with them.

 

[RV8R]

I think i already said earlier in the thread. Espar B2L AS3. If you want a cheaper option get a Bison. If you want a Velit just order a chinese heater directly off Alibaba yourself and save the middle man.

Well I went Propane, because after floundering around it seemed like the best type to give the least amount of problems.

We all have our biases, for whatever reasons.

I had a cheap Chinese diesel heater in my Cabin. It worked pretty good & I learned something from it. When it crapped out I gave it to my Daughter & Husband as they had a need for it. The issue was basically fuel supply ,,, diesel tends to do that over time.

I would like to use a gasoline heater in my van, but I believe these liquid fuel heaters are more problematic than propane. And now that I believe I have “dialed” in my regulator to about 8000’ DA we have not since had an issue. Propane by nature of operation is just better suited for us ( On / Off & very quick startups ).

It would be nice to ditch the Propane bottle ,,, but not for other headaches.

 

[SteveSS]

If you check the definition of “influencer,” it is clear that I am not one.

Very true. Just an old-fashion inspiration, especially on the hiking front

 

[RV8R]

What I meant is they are not really designed (at least not the liquid fuel heaters) for fine temperature regulation. Combustion is optimal when they are run at full power, and the cycling on/off takes several minutes (again for the fuel heaters) and considerable power. Many have a thermostatic mode but even then the range of usable power is only about 2:1 (max to min) so the effectiveness is limited.
To me a furnace is like a Suburban RV unit, which regulates by switching on/off like a home gas furnace does. Maybe the propex units are also like that, I have no experience with them.

Yup 👍

On The Forum ,,, This happens all the time. I post something 100% related @ the same time other members do;

Many DIYers do not understand the difference between a Propane “Furnace / Heater” by your definition & the liquid fueled gasoline / diesel “Heaters” as you define it.

I just posted the exact same thing above in post #78.

Depending upon the type of thermostat, the Propex or Suburban comes with, the operation and accuracy is within a couple of degrees F.

I have no Suburban experience, but in communication with @Dennis CampMaker & @GaryBIS I have concluded the Propex is very accurate with the DigiStat & depending on the Suburban thermostat it too can ve pretty accurate.

Thanks for your clarification.